Is the Kiss on the #EdgeofGlory or a #badromance?

The Kiss was painted by Gustav Klimt in 1907. Fast forward over 100 years and The Kiss is one of the most recognized and reproduced paintings in the world. We see opposing elements that coexist in harmony. We see a man and a woman who wear different cloaks but meld together perfectly in a golden embrace. Earth and heaven, happiness and pain, golden halos and human passion, sort of a golden ying yang scenario. Perhaps it is just a sweet romantic smooch or maybe the inspiration for Tarkan's hit music video or is it something else altogether? Watch till the end to find out just what this kiss is all about. To fully understand The Kiss it is helpful to understand the artist Gustav Klimt. Before painting The Kiss his career had taken a nosedive. In 1900 the University of Vienna commissioned Klimt to create a set of murals, philosophy, medicine and jurisprudence. The result? It created a scandal. His paintings of intertwined bodies and nude figures raised an uproar. His style and portrayal was unheard of at the time and was criticized as perverted excess. So how did Klimt take this rather public shaming? Not lying down to say the least. Rather in 1901 Klimt responded to his detractors with another painting. They didn't have twitter back then. Not one for subtlety he called the painting to my critics. Goldfish 1901-1902. It is easy to wonder if he is saying to his critics kiss my derriere. His rebute all could not have been clearer. Touché. This period of Gustav Klimt's career is known as his golden phase. But just who was Klimt? Klimt was the son of a goldsmith and engraver and was well versed in the application of gold leaf. Gold leaf is a real gold usually 24 carat is used and it is hammered into very thin sheets. Historically gold leaf was used solely for religious subject matter. Saints, altars, candlesticks, halos, only the holiest of holy. Klimt was one of the first artists to apply this style to everyday life. This bold move led critics to call his painting sacrilegious and profane. Klimt loved the bling though and he kept lavishing the gold on his art. Even more interesting is how Klimt's art reflected the new ideas of his age. Klimt lived in a time when philosophers like Nietzsche were trying to dethrone the rituals and dogma of the past. Klimt did not go so far as Nietzsche but he did show the divine to be present in the everyday through his golden touch. So what does all of this have to do with the kiss? It was after the harsh criticism and Klimt's cheeky rebuttal that Klimt painted the kiss. So did he listen to his critics? Perhaps. If you see here his new paintings show little of the man and woman's naked bodies. Instead he modestly garbs the two figures to cover their nudity. But will you look at that gold? And this gold has uplifted the figures to modern icons more than any other lovers of the time. So although the painting shows passion and romance he's made it in a way transcendent. Gold can do that. Spoiler alert more on the gold later. Now what about these figures? We see a look of ecstasy on the woman's face. We are privy to an intimate moment between two lovers. We see a moment frozen in time but the lovers do not see us. Her eyes are closed and the man's face leans in. We cannot see his features only adding more mystery and the woman cranes her neck back to offer her cheek for a kiss. The embrace is exquisite and one of the most enduring romantic images of its time. So why was this painting considered so sizzling hot in 1907 when the lovers are almost fully covered? Well like always let's place things in context. While these days a bikini may not raise eyebrows let's look at what the average couple wore in Wow! Klimt was also the leader of the New Vienna Succession Movement. This was a group of artists who broke away from the traditional and historical styles of the past. This was exciting! Yes! Klimt loaded his art with symbolism and organic shapes and spirals. The lovers are both enveloped in golden cloaks that encircle and bring them together. Although both figures are shrouded in a gold and phallic orb there is a stark contrast between the materials the two lovers are wearing. The man's cloak looks bold and dark with strong black masculine patterns while the patterns on the woman's cloak are softer and use more organic shapes like orbs and flowers. Klimt's symbols to show the masculine and feminine are a motif that you can find in many of his works. Seen this anywhere else? Tell us in the comments. Now let's see just where are these lovers? Often reproductions of the kiss show the painting as a rectangular shape. This is because it's easier to fit onto items like posters but actually the kiss is a square piece of artwork measuring an enormous 72 inches by 72 inches. So when you see it in person the The lovers embrace on a beautiful flower bed perhaps in a meadow but wait what is that in the lower right corner? Are they on a cliff? Stop! Don't lean too far back. The woman's toes are curled under her foot. Is she in a heightened state of pleasure or are her toes gripping the earth so she doesn't fall into the abyss? There are golden plants lightly draped over her feet connecting her to the ground. We have two lovers under two very decorated cloaks in clashing patterns. They embrace in a flowery meadow on the edge of an abyss and the viewers, you and I, are invited into this scene. Pleasure and terror mix like air and mist in the exact same moment. But where is this flowery meadow on the edge of a cliff? The background is, well, gold. In 1903 Gustave Klimt visited Ravenna, Italy and the Church of San Vitale to admire the Byzantine mosaics. The mosaics had a lasting influence on Klimt's work. Not only did he begin to use gold in his paintings but the flat perspective of the Byzantine mosaics also changed his work. In The Kiss we have a lush decadent background created with gold leaf. The darker gold leaf has speckles of lighter gold on top of it. The background could be a golden dreamy night sky with sparkles of golden stars. Or maybe it's light rain that is falling on the lovers and bathing them in shimmering opulence. The gold was not used for its realistic qualities but rather to create a feeling. This is so important and hints at some of the expressive trends seen elsewhere in art. The gold is not representative or realistic but evocative. In a dazzling play the background shines with opulence and passion. So while the Byzantines lent Klimt their golden luster, he is surely no image of hallowed saints. Yet it does seem like these two lovers have a halo all their own. This raises a big question and let us pause there for a moment. What does this evocation mean or feel like to you? And how do you see love? Share in the comments. As for Klimt himself, what did he say about his paintings? I have the gift of neither the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work. Whoever wants to know something about me as an artist, the only notable thing, ought to look carefully at my pictures and try and see in them what I am and what I do. Klimt was definitely not a talk show kind of guy. But not everyone agrees that this painting is about a warm kiss full of tenderness and love. Some believe that the kiss is unwelcome. What? Is she turning her head away from him? Is her awkwardly placed hand trying to make way? Are her toes curled as she gets ready to sprint? Meh. Some art historians believe so. It is one more theory, but I like to believe in the power of love and the majority of Klimt fans around the world would agree. What do you think? But who are the lovers in this painting? Is the male figure Gustav Klimt? Well, no. Klimt has proudly stated that he had never painted a self-portrait. He was also a bit of a homebody and didn't really go out to the trendy hotspots of Vienna like other artists of the day. But he did have a bit of a reputation as a lover. The kiss has managed to attain a bit of eternity after all that. Images of the kiss have lived on in everything from notebook covers to mugs to art in video games and even tattoos. There is something about the transcendental union painted in the kiss that has resonated with people around the globe. The image is at once simple and sublime. The kiss is about love and hints, like love does at both the erotic and transcendent. Thank you for watching. I will see you soon with another video. What videos would you like to see next? Let us know in the comment section below. And may your life be ever artful.